Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-09-30
rsrmnn,NnIIc, RniIrond Fnre..

The Brattleboro letter to the Springfield
Republican of last Sunday contained an al
fusion to the high rates of local fares charg-
ed on the Vermont Valley railroad. This
called out the editorial paragraph in the
Republican which is elsewhere reproduced,
and this in its turn called out letter or
statement from A B. Harris, president OF
the road, which was printed in the Repub-
hcan of Wednesday. Mr. Harris's state
ment is the same which he made to the
Vermont railroad commissioners last March,
when The Phoenix, supplemented by per
sonal appeal to the commission from Mr.
Swain of the Bellows Falls Times, urged
that a reduction of fares on the Valley road
ought to be made, corresponding to the re
duction which had just been made on the
New London Northern road out of Brattle-
boro. On the first of last January the Cen
trail Vermont company voluntarily reduced
the local fares over the New London road to
three cents per mile the fare to South Yer
non, 10 miles, now being only 30 cents, and
to Millers Falls, 81 miles, 60 cents; while
on the Valley road to Putney, 9 miles, it is
40 cents, and to Bellows Falls, "a miles, it
is 800
Mr. Harriss statement, or reply, consists
of skillfully drawn compilation of figures,
which are made to show that the passenger
traffic over the Valley road is very small
and improbable, and that even at cents
per mile it does not pay more than half as
well as the traffic over other roads which
charge only . cents or cents a mile The
saving to the local public, he says, if the
fares we're reduced, would be only about
$500, while the loss to the road would be
about $12 900, because the road 'pro rates"
with other companies on through business
in proportion to its charge per mile for local
fares. 1.-THE inevitable result of a reduc-
ton in local fares, he adds, would be that
the company would have to reduce the num-
Der of trains per day to make up the loss.
Mr.. Harriss answer strikes us now, as it
did last spring, when he made it to the
commission, as piece of special pleading
which will not bear analysis and eXamina-
ton in the light of what experience and
precedent have shown in this matter of the
reduction of railroad fares. The Vermont
Valley road is profitable piece of property,
but its local fares are kept up to the same
high rates which were in force when all rail
road fares were proportionally high, and nc
attempt has been made to find out whether
lower fares would not increase the travel.
Mr.. Harriss argument is the same which
the New York elevated roads used when
they were asked to reduce their fares from
10 cents to cents but they were COMPEL
ed to make the reduction, and they imme
diately found themselves overwhelmed with
traffic and their profits greater than ever
before. The fact is, that at the present day
passenger rate of At cents per mile
amounts to prohibition of traffic, unless il
some exceptional case like that of the Brat
tleboro & Whitehall road, and all experience
shows that passenger traffic increases JUS
in proportion as inducement for its increase
is offered, Moreover, it is hardly possible
that traffic on the Valley road is less profit
able than over the New London Northern
from Brattleboro to Millers Falls
We think the least that can be done is fol
the railroad commissioners to hold hear
ing on the subject and if Mr.. Harris anC
the other officers of his company can THAI
convince the commissioners and the public
that the peculiar situation of the road com
pels them to keep the fares up to the old
time prohibitory rates, we presume that GU
local public would then submit to the extor
ton with the best grace they could com
mand.